STORE SHOUT: ROCK 'N' JOCKS

Yes, it's time for the BOP's first offical store shout! It's taken us months to find a store worthy to be shouted (shooted?) out, but found one we have.

Enter Rock 'n' jocks.




















Rock 'n' jocks, or R 'n' jays as I like to playfully call it, is, "The best site for 'NEW ERA' Custom hard to find Fitted hats". There you have it. If you haven't visited their site, do it now. But refrain from eating thirty minutes beforehand or you may have a stroke. I know, it shouldn't be humanly possible to have a stroke after viewing a website and it really shouldn't have anything to do with eating before, but it happened to me.

If that makes you a little wary of the site, I present these for your approval:




















I know what you're thinking.

"OMG! The Chicago Bulls custom purple teal 'grapes' New Era defies every un-said law of human decency."

Yeah, I thought that too.

But then R 'n' jays synopsis reeled me in with,"This hat is a perfect match of the Michael Jordans Grapes VIII Retros shoes." Yeah, that's a real sentence, presumably written by real people.

























After a quick google search I figured out that this is the Minnesota Wilds Hat(limited to 30!!!). I was totally floored to realize that they carry a WNBA (auto-shudder, it's fundamental) new era, but then I got thinking; it's pink and purple, and is geared towards women, so I guess it gets a pass. Delving a little deeper into google and flipping to images, I realized that THIS IS A HOCKEY HAT! FOR A FUCKING HOCKEY TEAM! This is an item they went out of there way to make...in these colors...for a team that not only plays hockey, but is 800 miles away.

BONUS: NBA POETRY

This poem is titled "Untitled" and it's written by the better ball handler himself. I had to share.

Untitled

By J.J. Redick

I can’t see what my future has in store
but I move forth with the strength of a condor
The courage of a warrior
The commitment of an American soldier
Despite this weight on my shoulder
my inner forces circulate to form
a nucleus of an unbreakable bond
These words describe the soundtrack to my life’s song
My mind and body united like the Colors of Benneton
My destiny isn’t told by the creases of my palm
A sharp thorn once cut my soul
The blood flowed
But no bandage would cover the wound
I couldn’t help but stare at the distant moon
Waiting for a resolution to come at an instant soon
I asked the Lord, “What am I to do?”
He said, “Son, I made the sky blue
The rain falls because of me
Leaves change colors on a fall tree
I was the inspiration to Martin Luther King
I’m the reason Ray Charles could sing
I’ve changed others through and through
And my son, I’ll do the same to you”

Source: Empty the bench

Side Note . . .





















Yes, this mini-van has rims. I also think it has something to do with the Hillary store... But I can't prove it. You know what I can prove though? You're a fucking douchbag if you put rims on your mini-van.

--Ira

Diamonds in the rough. Really rough.

Do you ever shop at your local new-and-used shops? Well, you should. They've got gold.















Yes, my friends, this is Nike's elusive croc AF1. But in Black, though!

It's only $34 dollars.
Compare to: $2,000 dollars!















A unique detail that I'd never noticed on the OG version is the homage to Nike's mid-eighties basketball shoes. Instead of the size on the interior lining, it simply reads, "Fat Joe".















A scrapped Nike tee? An upcoming sample? Or, possibly, a store exclusive to the Hillary pop-up shop?














Yes, this one is actually a Nike product.



Off topic bonus: Former Blazer guard Juan Dixon recaps his career. Very candid and worth a look...But come right back to bopvi.com!!!


--Ira

Nike's '08 Beijing Olympic Media Summit....

I'm in the midst of typing for over thirteen hours straight a sixteen-page behemoth of a feature on Nike's Beijing Olympic footwear offerings for SC.com...but in the meantime...here's a video of our good friend Killa Cam taken by me in Nike's Sports Research Lab. Hard at work, Cam is simulating the daily research that goes on in the Mia Hamm Building at Nike. Here he's wearing the Dirk Nowitzki Hyperdunk PE, and he has 73 motion-capturing sensors positioned on his sexxxxxy unitard, and seven sensors on each foot, with sixteen high speed cameras catching his every move. You can even see the camera beams, in a light fuscia, traced through the video, which weren't visible in person.

With the help of Better Basketball: Better Ball Handling...Cam one day aspires to dribble without looking down.



And seriously...those three misses are RIGHT out of my favorite movie.



Best of all?

That shit wasn't regulation Cam!

(Though behind-the-back passes are always necessary)

Once I'm done with the Olympic Feature I'll update this post to include a behind-the-scenes look at Day1 and Day2 of the Innovation Summit....got some goodies in there.

- Nick

Response by Cam:

1st . . . ill split the cost of the better basketball-dribbling with you . . . from time to time (when ever he brings the ball up court) NDP has also been know to dribble with his head down.

2nd . . . the roof is only arround 14 ft. and would not allow the basket to go any higher (its close to regulation). It's not a cake walk when all your shots have to be laser beams with no arch.. . . either way not my fault .

3rd . . . you were the 1st group of the day at 9:00 am. By the 2nd and 3rd groups I was warm, loose, and killen it. Also notice at the end I finished off with a make!

Give me some cred . . . whens the last time you had to hoop/preform in a skin tight unitard in front of hundreds of media personal from all over the world. CNN yo!

Cam

I raise you Ira!

Often I'll get some odd emails about terrible new clothing/footwear brands that are desperate for attention.

Today's email struck a special place in my heart.

Thanks to Scott from Ripple Junction...I was made aware that:

Los Angeles,CA (March 31, 2008) – Ripple Junction today announced a partnership with Warner Bros. Consumer Products to manufacture and distribute Seinfeld apparel in North America. Ripple Junction designs will feature the main characters and timeless taglines on shirts from the classic sit-com, and products are slated to hit retailers’ shelves this April.

Now, I personally LOVED the show (you're not off the hook though Kramer....) and...well...rather than go on about how this "partnership" doesn't have a chance in hell of working...I'll let you be the judge.


































Ok -- this one is actually hilarious. Spongeworthy. Ha.







































You're right. If this tanks, at least the designer could easily be hired within the industry.

- Nick

"I'm currently enrolled in a lifetime recovery program"

So, this arrived in the mail at work the other day and it's taken awhile to digest it.

Enter William Lucchesi, a prospective streetwear shop owner who "got caught up outta state." Being a cog in the wheel of the Maine state prison system, Will has come to me for advice on how to get his shop off the ground when he eventually gets out. I'm kind of torn because I've received a letter from Maine Prisons before (apparently they're ho-ing out copies of Vapors #46 'round Warren way) and I didn't respond.

But I see something different in William, like myself he has "only some college education, mostly street knowledge," so I really want to respond to him, I just don't know what to tell him.

"Sorry guy the industry's on the right side of the bell curve", or "you'd be crazy to open a shoe store in a climate like this." Decisions, decisions.








































BONUS: Flavor of the month fives!!!
This mind-fucked me. Carry on.















--Ira

Critiquing Nike's new apparel line!

Yes, friends, Nike has begun strong arming their way into the streetwear market. The athletic giant, who has never been known for their cool apparel, has apparently noticed a total lack of creativity in the market place. Knowing this is their strong point they've struck while the irons hot.

White AF-1 can jump tee














Overall this tee is a winner. They've taken the White Men Can't Jump title and changed it into something totally...odd. Let's forget the logistics of the statement for a minute. This tee looks to be a runaway winner. Lack of creativity? Covered. Cost effectiveness? It's a two color screen on a white body! Reappropriation? Oh yeah! Gaudiness? Ohh...the white body kinda kills it. I guess it's really a catch 22. White bodies are the cheapest, but tangerine is one of the most expensive colors. At least the font is really big...

Lack of creativity: 9
Gaudiness: 3
Cost effectiveness: 9
Reappropriation: 10
Overall streetwear scale grade: 7.6/10

Shoes tee














Come on, what did you expect? It's names of shoes. Their own shoes. On the front of a tee. With one spelled wrong.

Lack of creativity: 10
Gaudiness: 7
Cost effectiveness: 8
Reappropriation: 4
Overall streetwear scale grade: 7/10( I've seen shirts much more streetwear)

Ready to be Fly tee














This one is the gem of the collection. A four colored tee screened on the front and back that manages to not only take royalties away from a dead man's family (Art Alexakis would campaign against this kind of stuff), but also takes gaudiness to new heights! Oh, only the back is pictured; the front reads "Ready to be fly". I forgot to take pics ('cause its bullshit!).

Lack of creativity: 8
Gaudiness: 10
Cost effectiveness: 8
Reappropriation: 10
Overall streetwear scale grade: 9/10

--Ira

My dad = Dopeness on a stick

(I still have NO CLUE what that means Alex)

So I get home late Thursday night to Sacramento and catch some sleep...Friday morning I met up with my dad for some lunch.

He tells me he has something to show me...which means either a hideous polo that he got me that I then directly hand back to him...or something else disastrous.

Sure enough -- he got a new phone.

But...........

Yep -- it's a fugazi Iphone. (Iphony if you're feeling puntastic)

Notice the screen isn't fully touch...and there's NO apple plug-in on the bottom...there's a USB port on the top right...which I don't think is how the normal ones operate.














What's really hood? Check out the Waring note on the back. It might as well say, 'All Your Base Are Belong To Us.'















His reasoning actually made quite logical sense. (I guess)

Since the bulk of his phone calls are made to Brazil, he's able to switch off between his two phone chips, one the Brazilian chip for cheaper rates, and one the US chip for local calls. It was also $150 w/ no contract. (what now Keith) It plays music perfectly fine, Internet is swift and it works surprisingly well.

It just happens to be entirely fake.

And even though I had a 9hour drive home...you'd think something interesting would happen along the drive.

Nope.

But just 'cause it's that funny...here's what I encountered last time on the drive.














- Nick

Cabo San Ruckus!!!

A little less than two weeks after making their first tournament birth ever, Portland State's Men's basketball team has officially arrived in college sports' big time.














"I kind of lead the way, leading by example."
-Jeremiah Dominguez

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, two PSU players are in talks to enter into a guilty plea (which will allow the players to return to the US, but possibly face civil charges) in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico for nearly beating a man to death. Scott Morrison, the team's senior center, beat the hell out of a man nearly a foot shorter and eighty pounds lighter. Go get'em, Scotty...MEANWHILE...Big Sky MVP Jeremiah Dominguez ran from, was tackled by and was repeatedly punched by local police (they do things a 'lil differently down south). Atta boy.

Hours earlier the victim, Kyle Meagher, wouldn't let Morrison and Dominguez into the VIP section of a club. Which apparently prompted his beating (double points, guys). Morrison was charged with the brunt of the damage, while Dominguez was only charged with evading police.

Meagher had 8 screws placed into his jaw and won't be able to eat meat for about a year.

--Ira

See...we're not weird...we're 'LEADERS'....

[For the full article -- Check HERE]

Well...what we've known all along to be true has just been scientifically proven.

The B.O.P. is filled with savages.

Brilliant minds. Industry leaders. Assertive, Innovative, and Spontaneous.

Some Gems:
"Got a passion for buying sneakers? It could be a good sign, with a poll finding that people who buy three pairs of sneakers or more a year are far more likely to be a leadership type than other people."

"People who buy more than three pairs of sneakers a year are 61 percent more likely to have the qualities of a modern leader."

Since we're known to do Chamberlain-type numbers...that means we're 734% more likely to be a modern leader...which roughly translates into us being the equivalent of a Lombardi/Wooden/Phil Jackson/Auerbach Fusion Pack.

Don't get any ideas Jordan Brand.

- Nick

John Brown Strikes again!

Just when we thought it couldn't get any better for the King of Da Burbz, he lands a nice spot on High Times podcast. He also blesses us with a "freestyle?"




And now...The Kind has ARRIVED!

That's right, the King has arrived...King of Da Burbz John Brown. After seeing a video of Game talking about the joke that was the White Rapper Show, Head of the Ghetto Revival himself has shot back at the Game and pulls out all the cards.



-Dane

For the fans...Announcement

Just wanted to let everyone know...you may now find us at the new official domain:
www.BOPVI.com

It's a Roman numeral -- like that shoe line.

Please adjust your #1 slot bookmark accordingly.

We appreciate the love so far.
























- The B.O.P.

On the subject of race....

These And1 Team-issued shorts were brought to my attention thanks to Ira's late-night never ending eBay quest to amass the absolute worst collection of game worn shorts.

The team name?

The New Zealand Tall Blacks.

I'm not even lying.


















Perhaps there IS a place for you in this world Keith Closs.
- Nick