Where the Blues Was Born

Greetings fashion savvy sportsfans,


I believe I have finally recovered from a rather severe case of LeBron LeDecision fever. I am happy that the royal dust has settled and he and his crown have found a new home in Miami. Meanwhile, I have been silently hoping that Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets would pull an LBJ and abandon his hometown team and join Superman and his friends in Orlando, but I fear that he is staying in New Orleans. I would have loved to see the 'Magic' that he and Dwight Howard could make, but I have to respect that he chose to stay with his people in the Big Easy. And I myself would have a hard time leaving New Orleans behind.


Oh...New Orleans, that little jewel of a city, the true gem of the gulf coast, where yours truly will be travelling tomorrow for a quick fix of city life. I'll have no more than 24 hours to take in the essence of that great place: a little music, people watching, scrumptious food, fabulous shopping, beautiful sights and wonderful friends.


The husband has a little business to tend to, so in my free time I have a couple of options, 1) stalk Chris Paul and beg him to change his mind to join the Orlando Magic or 2) cruise over to Saks for a little powershopping. I'm especially interested in making a new shoe acquisition and I don't think the odds of me getting a personal audience with CP3 are that high, so I think it will be option #2, an afternoon at Saks. Not just any Saks, but my favorite Saks outside of the real deal on Fifth Avenue in the Big Apple. I absolutely adore the New Orleans Saks because it is full of beautiful things, it's not too big and not too small, the people there are so lovely and helpful (as are most folks in that fine city) and the selection seems to be carefully chosen for inhabitants of the Gulf South where a) we like nice things b) we don't take ourselves too seriously and c) it's very hot. Now that I think of it, those are the very same reasons that I love the city of New Orleans.


In addition to all this shopping, arts, culture and dining, this city knows a thing or two about playing ball, whether it's football or basketball. New Orleans has two outstanding sports teams in the Saints and the Hornets. And a seriously crazed fan base. So I will celebrate with the fine folks of New Orleans that Chris Paul stays and that the Saints have a Super Bowl Championship. But most of all I will celebrate the spirit of a city that shines through adversity and continually wows the world with it's resiliency and joie de vivre. If the world is an oyster, New Orleans must be it's pearl.

The King: James or Scout?

In case you haven't heard, LeBron James, aka the King, is headed to South Beach to join his friends Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh at the Miami Heat. Even if you are one of my many friends that pays no mind to basketball current events, you had to have heard of this news. As much as I love the spotlight on the NBA, I can barely take anymore. It's all day, every day, everywhere from ESPN to NPR. The topic even came up at a recent lunch with a girlfriend at our very favorite Smiling Fish Cafe and then again the next evening while sipping colorful cocktails with a bunch of stylish ladies. I wouldn't have typically been talking sports, especially basketball, on these two occasions with these lovely friends, but this is how deeply the LeBron Mania has spread throughout our country.




I foolishly thought it would be over once he announced the decision on the ESPN special, "The Decision"--very clever title for such a program. The intent to film the event at the Boys and Girls Club was thoughtful, although I was disappointed to hear no mention of that spectacular organization or their very important works outside of a couple of commercials during the LeDecision hour(click here for a link to our local Boys & Girls Club--they are doing an amazing job!).


I found the program and the hours of chit chat before and after to be a gross display of an over active ego, and a bit tacky overall. It seemed a little too contrived and a little too much of a marketing stunt for my delicate senses. But humble, LeBron is not. Yes, he is a fantastic player, but really, the dramatic touches could be scaled down a little.


It was a sad, sad way for the heartbroken Cleveland fans to hear the news that their hometown boy was jumping ship. But leave it to the owner of the Cavaliers to help mend their aching hearts with a nasty letter, accusing the self-titled King of a long list of personal faults including: narcissism, cowardly betrayal and more. The town quickly rallied with anger, burning all #23 jerseys and removing the larger than life images plastered throughout the city that lost the race for LeBron. Maybe they should look into a city-wide ten-step program to help them through the pain of this loss.


And the show didn't stop there, that was just the pregame celebration, the real party took place in Miami last night with a world class party full of all sorts of celeb appeal. I heard that the King and his 'camp' camped out at my personal favorite, the Loews. I love those hotels because not only are they painfully hip and always overflowing with beautiful people, but they also allow me to travel with best friend, Lab-like rescue pooch and spoiled rotten pet, Scout, who also fancies himself to be the King (as shown in photo above).

Back to the news, I think LeBron chose wisely. They might be a championship contender or maybe not, but Miami is a beautiful city, ripe with folks who think a lot of themselves so LBJ should fit in nicely. And of course there's so much shopping, dining, nightlife and beachlife all wrapped together with an international flare and a nice tropical climate. What could be better?




Oh yea... a ring.



xoxo

LeBronathon

Please forgive my absence during this past week, I've been sucked into the vortex known as the 2010 free agency. At first, I couldn't get enough of the speculation, the commentary and the anticipation of the upcoming announcements. But now as we move into day 8 of the month of LeBron, I am ready for the these guys to wrap things up. Or rather I'm ready for LeBron to wrap it up, he's really living up to his 'king' nickname this time--the guy is truly a drama king. Tomorrow night at 8:00 central, he will host a one hour special, in which he will reveal to all of us fans in sportsland which fair city he will next call home. Will he go with the sentimental ties to Cleveland, the star-studded scene in NYC, the great history of Chicago, or join his friends D Wade and Bosh for a run for a championship in South Beach? We'll find out tomorrow night, and I'm sure it'll be a dramatic event.

I think it's safe to say we've all had a little too much LeBron exposure lately. One hardly hears mention of anything else, the World Cup, Wimbledon, or those very talented back-to-back national champs, the Lakers, because it's all LeBron, LeBron, LeBron. As a former endurance athlete, (yes, I kicked off my Manolo's a few times to run a handful of marathons) I thought that I could handle the duration of this LeBron Countdown, but even I, trained to endure through difficult and challenging times, find this to be painful and tiresome. Maybe it's more like an Ultra Marathon, which even I was not crazy enough to do (tempted yes, but my occasional rational judgement ruled out the possibility, or was it the fear of really bad tan lines?). So if this is a LeBronathon, I'm feeling like we're on mile 24 or so of the 26.2 mile race, our minds are a little numb from the repetitive state we've been subjected to, we can hear the bands playing and the crowds cheering at the end of the race, maybe I spot my mother-in-law in front of the Plaza, and we know the end is near. All of the preparation and anticipation will be winding down, making way for new discussions of future races, teams, events. Personally, I look forward to crossing the finish line and completing this chapter of the book of LeBron.

I'm sure LeBron will not fail to entertain us tomorrow night. I am also sure that many folks will rejoice and celebrate his decision, while other cities mourn what could have been. But fear not friends, regardless of what city the King sits in his throne, we will be witnesses of some very exciting basketball over the years to come. I'll save my thoughts on the entire shake down of the NBA for a later date, once the dance is complete and our aches from this long and drawn out free-agent season have subsided.

And special thanks to all of the input on what to wear in Sonoma County. I've made the final cuts and my bags (and lashes) are packed and ready to go to wine country. What better way to celebrate the grand finale of the free agency season, than a trip to California with my charming husband, visiting dear friends, drinking amazing juice, and of course a little shopping in San Francisco?

Cheers!

xoxo

WWLBD? WWLW?

WWLBD? What will LeBron Do? This is the question on the mind of all basketball fans these days. As of July 1, Free Agent season begins and never has there been a bigger deal than this. I've heard some say it's the biggest thing to happen in all of basketball history. The biggest event ever in basketball history? I think not...I recall a certain Chicago Bull player retiring at the peak of his game taking over conversations around the dinner table across America, and possibly even the rest of the world. But, this is an impressive class of men taking up free agency on Thursday. And their leader? Naturally, King James. Where will he go? What will he do? Every team in the league is waiting for his decision so that they can build a team to defend him and whatever superpowers he joins forces with.

There's lots of talk about teams he 'might' be considering, Chicago, New Jersey, Dallas, Clippers, Miami, etc. And not to mention staying at his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. As the billboards read: Born Here, Lives Here, Plays Here, Stays Here. Personally, I'd take a nice long look at Miami, the weather is so lovely and the scene is just so hot. If not Miami, I think the next best place for royalty is the Big Apple. What better place for a King to reside, the worlds center for fashion, finance, entertainment, etc. Or maybe Chicago, where he could play on the hallowed court that was once home to the greatest ever, Michael Jordan. Everybody wants this guy. I've even read a suggestion that we should change the name of July to LeBron, just for this year as it seems he's the favorite topic du jour.

Among the other superstar players about to shake up the NBA through their free agency are Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh (and his newly cut hair), Amar'e Stoudemire, Yao Ming, Dirk Nowitzki, Joe Johnson, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Tracy McGrady, just to name a few. That line-up sounds like an all-star game. So get on your dancing shoes boys, this highly anticipated basketball shuffle begins on Thursday, July 1.

Another hot topic on my mind...WWLW? What will Lacy wear? I am heading to California in a few weeks for an important and very fun function with some of my most favorite friends. We will be the first guests to be entertained at the new Williams Selyem Winery and will be sipping their delicious wine as a certain friend and famous chef or two (in case you're reading this Chris) will be preparing us dinner. So back to my original question, what does one wear while barrel tasting in the winery (read: a little chilly), dining alfresco (read: warm then cooling off after sunset), and possibly taking a stroll through the vineyard (read: comfy shoes)? And all of this while trying to pull off a "Sonoma County Casual" look. Hmmmm???? What about my wine angel and Valerie's wine devil tee shirt look? Cute, but maybe not for this function. Beyond the ever present false eyelashes for such events and the fact that 10 years of wobbling around on 3 inch Manolos has forced me into a lifetime of flats perfect for exploring the land of grapes, I'm at a loss. I welcome any thoughts on this topic.

Lots of big decisions to be made in the next few days and weeks. If I don't make a new post before the weekend, I hope you all have a safe and happy fourth of LeBron, oops, I mean Happy Fourth of July!!!

Thoughts on Game 7: Thumb Ring

So its officially over. Basketball season has come to an end and Kobe now has a championship ring for each finger, including his thumb. Andy and I took in the basketball action from a motel room somewhere between Seagrove Beach and Hazard, Kentucky, where we are headed to spend the weekend with dear friends.


It was a thrilling Game 7, as suspected. For the first 3 quarters it looked like the Celtics would take the trophy back to Boston, but no such luck. In the fourth quarter, Kobe Bryant turned up his skills to help the Lakers take the lead and win the game in the last seconds.


The Celtics didn't give up--they played their hearts out right to the last minute, but sadly for the guys in green, it wasn't enough. This is a team that plays like beautiful poetry, and Rondo in particular showed his skills during this playoff season, so much so that my best sportsfan girlfriend, Brenda Nunnery, reports that she is planning to name her next dog "Rondo" due to his "such ballet like moves." This will be one cute dog as their family usually goes for miniature dachshunds, very much the ballerinas, right? And I know she's not joking because she named her last dog after another friend and amazing lady, Julianna Martinelli. The funny thing is the human Julianna has the longest legs known to man, at least a half mile long, and her namesake, the canine (mini dachshund) Julianna Martinelli has legs barely long enough to keep her belly from dragging on the ground as she walks, but she's still a real looker.


It was heartbreaking to see the sadness on the face of the Celtics after the game. But, wow, seeing the immediate reaction of Ron Artest quickly negated any sad feelings. Watching a grown man so ridiculously emotional was very amusing. I didn't realize it was proper protocol to thank your phsycotherapist on national television after winning a grueling match up for the NBA world championship. I'll have to remember that in case I am ever in a similar situation. I couldn't help but laugh at his joyful expressions. I also confess to having a slightly evil streak that makes me get a good belly laugh from seeing people cry over sports wins & losses. (Melanie, you know the Ohio State kid I refer to from the UF championship game--and I speak of the football championship win over Ohio State, not the basketball championship win over Ohio State that same year). Having admitted to this evil spirited giggling, I had a nice chuckle seeing the chest heaving sobs of Pau Gasol.

I think it was that lovely songbird, Christina Aguillera that was the good luck charm for the Lakers. She gave another stunning performance of the national anthem. I couldn't get over her amazing false lashes. I'll have to find out what brand she uses.


In other sports news, my niece, Mason's volleyball team, the Vero Beach Rivers are battling it out at Disney's Wide World of Sports this week. A serious team from Mandeville, LA took a few games from them in the beginning, but they rallied and won a few against a team from Puerto Rico. Last report had them playing a team from Indiana, up one set.


It has also been reported that Mason's brother, Phillip and his baseball team, the Vero Beach Nationals All Star's will head to Williamsport for the Little League World Series, so I'll keep you updated on that too. What an athletically gifted bunch of kids in the family!


So no more basketball games in the near future, but fear not, there's plenty to talk about...especially with the LeBron Le-Free Agency topic and all of the other talented players on the move this summer. And I've always got a few mindless thoughts on the sport to share with my followers. Don't be sad...the season may be over, but I'll still be here.


xoxo

Thoughts on Game 6: California Dreamin

Ok friends, huge and I mean HUGE game tonight. It's what all basketball fans live for, a heated Game 7 where it's all on the line. I suppose Kobe's teammates recovered from his stinging criticism because they really turned it around in Game 6. The Celtics were finished by halftime and their case wasn't helped much with the early withdrawal of center Kendrick Perkins. He suffered a severe knee injury and won't be returning for Game 7, and from the sounds of it he sadly won't be active next season.



Andy and I veiwed the game together at home with a gulf coast seafood extravaganza as it might be the last of our local seafood for quite a while due to the big mess of oil. Our favorite seafood shop, Shrimpers, is possibly closing down as early as Monday. This haven of seafood is owned and operated by a family that has lived in Destin forever (I went to high school with the son and daughter, and that was a loooong time ago) and this family has always been working in the fishing business so I know they have the best of the local catch. It's a very sad time.



To lift our spirits we opened a bottle of Williams Selyem Pinot Noir from California's Russian River Valley which is always good for a little cheer. Our very dear friend Bob, aka the Big Willi, makes this delicious wine so you have to feel good when sipping his juice, also known affectionately as the Big Willi.



It'll be tough to top that line up for Game 7 tonight, but I'll try.



My sister Mathilda is vacationing in San Diego right now, wait...is it considered vacation when visiting in-laws? Anyway, I told her she should try to go to the game, surely LA isn't that far away from San Diego. Just for a little fun, she did some research and reports "I can get two COURTSIDE tickets for only 30,000 and change (each). And parking is included! But alas, I have nothing to wear. And who would I root for?" Parking included? What a bargain! Maybe I should hop on a plane and accompany my sister to the event after we make a quick shopping spree/makeover in Beverly Hills. But oh rats, our very strict and considerate financial advisor says its not a good idea. But we can dream...



For all of you friends that still don't really get the basketball thing, I beg you to watch the national anthem and introduction of the teams just before the game. Los Angeles naturally puts on a dramatic performance (that little song bird Christina Aguillera sang on Thursday night) and you can get a compilation of the most exciting moments of playoff history too. It's very entertaining, even for those that don't yet embrace this face-paced sport.



And as for history, this is the 12th meeting of these two teams in the finals. The Celtics have won 9 of 11 of those meetings. It's going to be tense out there tonight, but Kobe Bryant says he's "not trippin."



Celtics Coach Doc Rivers says "It should be a lot of fun." I agree with Doc, yet it will be a little bittersweet as the close of this game brings on a long, hot summer void of basketball, with football still far out on the horizon. I suppose I'll have to cheer on baseball and soccer.



Tip off tonight at 8:00.



xoxo

Thoughts on Game 5: The Milkmen

What an exciting series this has been with the Lakers and Celtics. The series leaves Beantown and heads to Tinseltown tonight for Game 6, a win or go home game for Los Angeles. It occurred to me while watching the game on Sunday night that we are watching one man (Kobe Bryant) play a team (Boston Celtics). Finally, the Three-party showed up with all members scoring double digits, and of course Rondo continuing his post season success. The Celtics showed nice teamwork, sweet ball movement, great defense and powerful scoring.

Kobe Bryant also showed all of the above while scoring a whopping 38 points from unthinkable positions, but unfortunately he didn't have a team to help him out, which he was very vocal about on his way to the locker room after the game, lots of bleep bleep bleeping going on. He even stated that their defense was on the side of a milk carton for the last two games (i.e. MISSING). Yikes! Such strong words from their leader, will they put their injured feelings aside and "man up" tonight?




I've received many requests for a photo of the previously described green suit from kindergarten, but I am sad to report that there are only 3 photographs in existence from my early childhood as I am the youngest of 3 girls. And I am only captured in the background of those photos as my two adorable older sisters were the typically the main subject. But fear not, I've spent a lifetime making up for the early neglect, as anyone who knows my family knows that I quickly rose to royalty status and continue to reign from my position as family princess.

I also thought of another green piece of my childhood history, my dad used to drive me to school in his International Harvester Scout, the original SUV, purchased on a family vacation in California, sans moi (another sad story of neglect), and driven across the country to its new home in Florida. It was actually the first of two Scouts we would drive and this one was lovingly called "the Green Machine". Too bad I don't have a photo of my dad and me heading off to start our day in the Green Machine with me sporting my green suit. I'm sure it would be a real cutie.

Back to the Celtics sense of fashion, it is now clear to me that the only fabric they care about seeing is that of the championship banners hanging from the rafters. Oh my, how they long to add banner number 18 to their collection.

And oh my, how Kobe longs to add championship ring number 5 to his talented hand.

Who will it be, tune in tonight to find out . I'll be watching...

xoxo