Tennis History (Worcester Tennis Club)

Last week, I offered to take pictures of my friend, Virginia Ryan, whose running for City Councilor in District 1, for her campaign.

You see, at least twice a week, Virginia, a co-chair for the Coalition of Worcester Retirees, plays tennis at the Worcester Tennis Club.

I'll be the first to admit that I'd heard about the Worcester Tennis Club, but never visited it because I didn't have a need to.

Well, I've come to find out that the WTC, which has been in existence since 1907, was one of the many tennis courts that an uncle of mine has played tennis at with a number of now-well-known lawyers, who spent their undergraduate years in Worcester.

I must say that I miss playing the game of tennis.

It was the first sport that I was introduced to by my parents, and by learning the game and playing the game, my love for sneakers began.

You see, my father was a big fan of adidas Stan Smith sneakers, and because he wore a size 14 shoe, whenever he found adidas Stan Smith sneakers in a size 14, he'd buy them all. (The saying that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree is true.)

So, I guess it's time for me to dust off my racket, loosen up my shoulders and get back on the court and attempt to play the game that I enjoy watching, but haven't played in the past 20-years.

I'll keep you posted. (Pray for me.)

Sneaker Comedy

Since the Dallas Mavericks won the NBA Championship on Sunday, my friend, REE, decided to have a little fun and poke fun at Miami Heat's LeBron James and his Nike sneakers.

Research & Development

One of the things that I get to do often is travel to do research on the ever-growing sneaker "lifestyle & culture".

One of the cities that I visit often is New York City, which is home to thousands of sneaker stores and boutiques.

For example, this store is called Flight Club, and it's a consignment store. The split is 80/20, and folks from all over the world trek to NYC just to see this store up close and personal.

There's another store in LA and in Tokyo, and, of course, they have an online store.
Stay tuned because word around Worcester is that we may see a similar type of store in Worcester in the fall.

On your feet, kid!

So, I've been working on a number of footwear projects that have taken awhile to come to fruition, but one thing I'm learning is patience.

Well, this Asics project, which I didn't work on, but I really like the execution, landed earlier this year and I got my hand, and, more importantly, my feet on a pair of the Asics Gel Noosa Tri 6 sneakers.

They are super bright and extremely comfortable, and if you over-pronate like me, you'll really like these.

Over the coming weeks, I'll post pictures of a few footwear projects that have connections to Worcester.

LeBronmania is over....Thank you!

Now that LeBron James has announced that he's taking his basketball skills to South Beach to play for the Miami Heat, we can get back to 'regular' sports news.

My homie, Ree, a cartoonist from California, has been drawing and putting out some funny comic strips geared towards sneakerheads.

This particular one is too funny not to share with the WIM community!

The Consequence

Saigon in Worcester pt.2

Last week I posted that rapper, Saigon, was going to perform in Worcester at Canal Nightclub and to say that he put on a show and the crowd eating from the palm of his hands would be an understatement.

Saigon performed for almost an hour and performed a myriad of songs that were known and some newer ones that the crowd vibed to.

Here's a snippet of Saigon doing what he does best.

One Day Without Shoes: 04/08/2010

Being completely honest, I do think about what I put on my feet on a daily basis because I suffer from OSD, and thus started the first Internet sneaker talk show dedicated towards "lovers of sole". Even if you're accustomed to purchasing your sneakers at Marshalls or Building #19, which there's nothing wrong with doing, most "sneakerheads" are very particular about their choice of footwear and spend upwards of $500 for an "exclusive" pair of sneakers or player exclusive sneakers (Sneakers produced by sneaker manufacturers for NBA players.)

When I heard about the "One Day Without Shoes" program, which is taking place on Thursday, April 8, 2010, I decided to share it with the many 'heads (read: sneakerheads a.k.a. sneaker lovers) that I personally know and the greater Worcester community.



While we know we need the basic necessities, we often forget about the feet and don't pay them that much mind, that is until we're faced with a foot issue or maybe we aren't allowed to enter an establishment barefooted.

So, on April 8, 2010, I encourage you to go barefoot for the day and if not, try it for even an hour.

As we say on the OSD talk Show, "Walk GOOD!"

Valentine's Day: Not my cup of TEA

Since Valentine's Day is not my cup of tea, and I can care less about it, here's something funny that my sneaker lovers will appreciate. (Don't get me wrong, I love LOVE and have no problem expressing it, but I have always disliked Valentine's Day. I think folks make a big deal of the day, and I believe in showing love everyday and NOT specifically on one day.)

Sneaker Aficionados "Camp Out" for Kicks

Sneakers have an amazing affect on people, and an exclusive release at Concepts in Cambridge, caused sneaker aficionados to "camp-out" to buy a special pair of Nike Dunk SB (SB=Skateboarding) sneakers.

Spring: Socializing in the WoO

Now that Spring is here, it's time for me to plan a few parties and
the first of which will be a party that will together the bloggers &
sneaker aficionados. Why bloggers & sneaker aficionados do you ask?
Well, for one I am both of these and secondly, there are not that many
get togethers that combine these often bipolar types of folks.

So, what if you're a Blogger but still call sneakers "rubbers", as my
mother refers to them, when these days they're often called 'kicks',
'dogs', 'sleds' and in Europe 'trainers'. Well, I know that as a
writer and reporter, Bloggers are always up for learning new things
and this party will do just that.

So, continue to check out Worcester Is MAJOR! and the time and place
of the P-A-R-T-Y will be published very soon!

G4tv x OSD Is MAJOR!

Many Worcester Is MAJOR! readers may know that I'm passionate about footwear, particularly sneakers, and earlier tonight my "project" OSD-Obsessive Sneaker Disorder was featured on G4tv's Attack of the Show. Attack of the Show is a geek's paradise that features the latest technological toys-cellphones, televisions, computers, MP3 players, etc..

Here's the video from G4tv:

Money to Burn!

Some of you that know me, know about my passion for sole, and no, I didn't spell "sole" incorrectly, then you know I like fresh sneakers and host an Internet call-in talk show titled OSD-Obsessive Sneaker Disorder. 

Well, having watched many of the events that took place in Phoenix, AZ at the NBA All-Star Weekend, I find it unbelievable that someone was lucky enough to get a similar pair of the Nike basketball sneakers that Mr. Nate Robinson of the New York Knickerbockers wore and had the audacity to list them on eBay.  Hey, I was raised that if you were given something, you don't give it away and you certainly don't sell it!  Call me 'ol fashioned.

First things first, Nate a/k/a/ KryptoNate does wear a size 10 and stands 5 feet 7.75 inches tall, even though he's listed as 5-feet 9-inches tall on the NBA's website, the seller just witnessed their auction end with the winning bidder being someone with "1" positive feedback and a final price of $22,300.00.  Yes, that is correct-- twenty-two thousand three hundred dollars for a pair of sneakers!!

Maybe the City of Worcester can re-enter the footwear business and start manufacturing shoes and sneakers and sell them on eBay?  That would be one way for the City to eliminate the budget gap and we wouldn't have to hear about the proposed PILOT program ever again.  You never know.

Assaults: Crime doesn't pay

When times get tough and folks are struggling to put food on the table
and keep the lights on, so to speak, there is a direct correlation to
the increase in violence.

In the town of Caribou, Maine, which is best known for having over 5-
feet of snow, has seen a rash of assaults among teenagers, not for
iPods or cellphones, but sneakers.

The sneakers of choice are the Nike Air Force 1 low sneakers.

With their multiple colors and supposed street credibility, Air Force
1s a/k/a/ Uptowns or 1s, have teenagers from throughout the small town
fighting one another and leaving battle scars.

Sneaker aficionados know how popular the Bruce Kilgore-designed Air
Force 1s are, but it's still unknown why a sneaker that was initially
released in 1982, a basketball sneaker nonetheless, is so popular
today with kids in the 'hood and the suburbs alike.

We, at OSD, know the pull of Air Force 1s and have seen some well
designed AF1s by the likes of DJ Clark Kent and Stash. But let's be
straight forward and to the kids of Caribou, ME and all over the
world, we have to state that you are too valuable and have too much to
loose to throw it all away over a pair of sneakers. Be smarter people
and if you can't afford the sneakers, get a job and save your money to
buy that fresh pair of 1s......you'll appreciate them that much more.

As always, keep your laces tied tightly, your tongue loose and walk
GOOD!!